Gleinkersee

The lake in the Windischgarstner basin, 2 km (1.2 mi) southeast of the town center of Rossleithen, can be reached via the Gleinkerseeestrasse L1316, which runs to the north shore. There is a large car park at the Seebauer at the end of the street.

The lake, stretching from north to south, has a length of 570 m (1,870 ft) and a maximum width of 320 m (1,050 ft). The surface is about 13 hectares (32 acres).[1] The deepest point is a karst funnel with a depth of 120 m (390 ft). Otherwise, the maximum depth is given as 24.5 m (80 ft). The water volume is 1.59 million cubic meters. The banks are rocky and steeply sloping, only in the northern part, near the ship huts, is there a narrow strip of muddy ground in front of the shallow bank formed by meadows. The banks are surmounted by the Seespitz (1,574 m [5,164 ft] above sea level) in the southeast and by the east walls of the Präwald (1,227 m [4,026 ft] above sea level) in the southwest.[2]

During the ice ages, a glacier flowing from the cirques on the north slope of the Dead Mountains formed the lake basin. Below the steep rock faces, which are made up of solid Dachstein limestone, there is soft marl (flysch rock) that was easily excavated by the ice. The terminal moraine is now in the area of the Gasthof Seebauer. This is unlocked at the intersection of the parking lot. After the lake was formed in this way, the deep, funnel-shaped collapse in the cave-rich Dachstein limestone took place. If the funnel had formed at the time of the glaciation, it would have been filled with debris from the ground moraine in a short time.[3]

During the Middle Ages, the lake was property of the Gleink Abbey. Due to the distance from the Abbey to the lake, it was temporarily let out to the Spital am Pyhrn Abbey in 1589 for the price of 200 guilder. In 1608 it was permanently ceded for another payment of 200 guilder.[4]